Four-Part Lecture on Jerusalem and Samaria

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary will offer a four-part lecture “Jerusalem and Samaria: The Royal Cities in Ancient Israel” Mondays in February from 10:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

The significance of the rivalry between the two capital cities of ancient Israel for our understanding of biblical history can hardly be overestimated. Using references from the Hebrew Scriptures and the wealth of discoveries that archaeological research has uncovered, Dr. Ron E. Tappy, G. Albert Shoemaker Professor of Bible and Archaeology and director of the Kelso Bible Lands Museum, will bring Jerusalem and Samaria to life.

Lecture topics include Feb. 1 “Jerusalem in History”; Feb. 8 “Jerusalem’s Temple in the Time of Jesus: An Archaeo-Historical Overview”; Feb. 15 “Jerusalem as Regal-Ritual City”; and Feb. 22: “Ahab’s Samaria: The Forbidden City and the Hebrew Prophets”.

Specializing in the life and literature of the Old Testament period, biblical archaeology, and the history of Israel, Tappy focuses his teaching on how these areas can enliven our reading of the Bible today. He began excavating at various sites in Israel more than 28 years ago, and his current field research entails directing The Zeitah Excavations, a full-scale field exploration of a Late Bronze–Iron Age town in the Shephelah (“lowlands”) region of biblical Judah. During the 2005 season of excavation, his team discovered an inscription incised in stone in the earliest known securely datable, complete Hebrew alphabet (see New York Times, Nov. 9, 2005). In addition to completing graduate work at the Jerusalem University- College and the University of Chicago, Tappy is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, (M.A.) and Harvard (M.A., Ph.D.). He has written articles on a variety of topics and is a leading authority on the archaeology of Israelite Samaria with two books on the subject. Prior to accepting his current position at PTS, Tappy taught at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif., and in the Near Eastern Studies Department at the University of Michigan.

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is a graduate professional institution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). Founded in 1794, the Seminary is located in Pittsburgh, Pa. and approximately 320 students are enrolled yearly in the degree programs. The Seminary prepares leaders who proclaim with great joy God’s message of good news in both word and deed. PTS is rooted in the Reformed history of faithfulness to Scripture and commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.